MEMOIR OP GALILEO. 91 



priety have been urged against the doctrines of Ptolemy. 

 The storm which had been gathering over the devoted head 

 of the philosopher at last broke forth. He was denounced 

 from the pulpit by one Caccini, a friar. The general of 

 the order to which this friar belonged apologized for this 

 attack ; and stimulated by a strong love of truth, and to 

 silence his antagonists, Galileo published another letter de- 

 fending his vieics of Scripture, applied to his own and 

 the system of Ptolemy. 



These letters were denounced to. the Inquisition, and steps 

 taken to bring Galileo before the bar of that sanguinary 

 tribunal. It is a disputed point whether Galileo, on hear- 

 ing of the steps taken against him, went to Rome of his 

 own accord, or whether he was cited there. He appeared at 

 Rome at the latter end of 1615, and* was shortly after sum- 

 moned before the Inquisition, to answer the charges of hav- 

 ing heretically maintained the motion of the earth, and the 

 stability of the sun, and with having taught it to others. 

 The Inquisitors met, and after considering these charges, 

 decreed, that Galileo should be enjoined to renounce those 

 opinions, and to pledge himself neither to teach, defend, nor 

 publish them ; and that, in the event of refusal, he should 

 be thrown into prison. To these Galileo agreed, and was 

 dismissed. 



Philip III., King of Spain, a country at that time exten- 

 sively engaged in maritime enterprise, had offered a reward 

 for the discovery of an improved mode of finding the longi- 

 tude at sea. To this problem Galileo turned his attention, 

 and proposed to make the satellites of Jupiter subservient 

 to effecting this purpose. Communications on the subject 

 were made to the Spanish court, and so great was Galileo's 

 desire to carry out his project, that he offered to go to Spain 

 and reside there till he had communicated a knowledge of 

 his method. Nothing satisfactory came out of these nego- 

 ciations, which were occasionally revived during a period of 



